Belt conveyer



Aug'. 19, 1930. A'. HoPKlNsoN 1,773,621

y BELT CONVEYER Filed. oct. e, 192e C Cl atented ug,l 119, 1,93@

inten AUSTIN HOPKINSON, OF AUDEN SHAW, ENGLAND' BELT coNvEYERApplication led October 6, 1928, Serial No. 310,839, and in GreatBritain February 9, 1928.`

It has been found that considerable trouble is experienced with beltconveyers (particularly with those of the portable type) owing tomaterial falling upon the return or idle side of the belt and gettingbetween it and the rollers. This invention is intended to obviate thisdiiiiculty.

Atroughed belt, or a belt so made that it tends to trough itself, ispreferably used and, instead of following the usual practice of runningthe return belt flat, the return belt is supported by cylindricalrollers which permit the belt to assume or retain its trough forni butinverted, so that the idle belt pre# sents a sloping surface to anymaterial which falls upon it, and this without involving ditv ferentrelative speeds between belt and supporting rollers, as is the case whenthe return belt is supported upon cambered rollers. The supporting`rollers for the return belt may be similar to'those commonly used forthe belt on its conveying or outward journey, which are usually designedto provide a troughed or concave support for the belt, but in the caseof the return belt these rollers would be inverted so that the beltwould assume or retain an inverted trough formation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as applied toa belt conveyer of the portable type in which the roller frames are heldin position by applying tension to flexible ropes passing throughclamping devices carried by the frames,v but it will be understood thatVthe invention is not rei stricted to this known type of portable bymeans of rollers B,C, C so disposed as to afford adequate support forthe middle part and the edges of the belt and maintain its troughformation. The support for the idle or return journey of the belt isafforded byl similar rollers B, C, C', but the two latter 50 rollers areinclined in a downward direction" instead of an upward direction, sothat the edges of the belt willv rest upon them with a downwardinclination towards the outside. The idle belt'will thus present asloping sur- 55 face at either side to any material which falls upon it,and such material will consequently slide oli' the belt and will notlodge between it and the rollers.

It is possible to dispensewith the side rollers C', C anduse only thecentral roller E on the return journey of they belt as the edges of thelatter, whether originally made with a permanent troughed section, orwhether merely of a character whichy tends to assume 65, Y such atroughed section, will naturally lbe inclined downwardly towards theoutside so as to shedany material which may fall upon them. Y v

While the invention'isprimarily designedl 70 for belt conveyers in whichthe belt is trough shaped on its loaded side, it is also applicable tocases in which the belt is supported so as to lie flat on its loadedside. In either case, the rollers supporting it on its idle side will,as hereinbefoie described, consist of a series of central rollers suchas B with or without downwardly and. outwardly inclined side rollerssuch as C', C', enabling the idle side of the belt to assume a troughedform so as so to shed any material which may fall upon it.

Having thus described the naturel of the said invention and the bestmeans I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim l. Anendless belt conveyer, comprising a belt and rollers rotatable on axesinclined to one another and against -which thev under faces of marginalportions of the return stretch of said belt bear and by which the returnstretch of the belt is supported in inverted trough shape.

2. An endless belt conveyer comprising a belt and means for supportingthe return Stretch of the belt in inverted trough shape; said meanscomprising cylindrical rollers rotatable on horizontal axes andengaging' the under i'aee of the return stretch of said belt between itsedges and cylindrical rollers rotatable on axes inclined downwardlyrelative to the axes of said lirst named rollers and engagingthe underaceof the return stretchzof said belt at its opposite inarginalportions.

In testimony whereof I have signed name to this speeeationi AUSTINHOPKINSON.

